Feeding

[KatieKanDo]

Can chickens digest plain yogurt?

 

[Debrakinsky]

Yes, according to everything I’ve read it’s very good for them. I feed it to mine occasionally and they seem to love it.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I avoid dairy products in general for many reasons. If you want the benefits of yogurt, I recommend fermenting your chicken feed. Because yogurt is also fermented, they have the same benefits and fermenting feed doesn't have the down-sides of dairy.

 

[KatieKanDo]

I avoid dairy products in general for many reasons. If you want the benefits of yogurt, I recommend fermenting your chicken feed. Because yogurt is also fermented, they have the same benefits and fermenting feed doesn't have the down-sides of dairy.

What are some of the reasons why you avoid dairy products?

 

[PioneerChicks]

What are some of the reasons why you avoid dairy products?

There are several, this might end up being a lot post!

1. Think, what does a mama cow feed her calf to make it gain several hundred pounds in just a few months?
2. Dairy often causes constipation in humans, and diarrhea in chickens.
3. Humans are the only animal who drink milk after infancy. We should listen to that hint.
4. Roughly 70% of humans have problems when they eat dairy. Therefor, it can't be that good for your body.
5. It is a myth that dairy has a lot of proteins, it actually is less than 5% protein! Unprocessed meat has protein and extra vitamins besides.
6. If you are worried that you need milk for calcium, consider this: where does the cow get the calcium that goes into the milk? Plants!

I know many people disagree with this. I understand that I might get flamed at for this. I am not saying other people are doing bad things, I am just sharing what believe.

Well, there you go, I warned you this might be long!

 

[KatieKanDo]

There are several, this might end up being a lot post!

1. Think, what does a mama cow feed her calf to make it gain several hundred pounds in just a few months?
2. Dairy often causes constipation in humans, and diarrhea in chickens.
3. Humans are the only animal who drink milk after infancy. We should listen to that hint.
4. Roughly 70% of humans have problems when they eat dairy. Therefor, it can't be that good for your body.
5. It is a myth that dairy has a lot of proteins, it actually is less than 5% protein! Unprocessed meat has protein and extra vitamins besides.
6. If you are worried that you need milk for calcium, consider this: where does the cow get the calcium that goes into the milk? Plants!

I know many people disagree with this. I understand that I might get flamed at for this. I am not saying other people are doing bad things, I am just sharing what believe.

Well, there you go, I warned you this might be long!

Ok, #2 and 6 are relevant.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Ok, #2 and 6 are relevant.

Lots of people feed their chickens plain yogurt though, it's really your decision.

 

[Offshoreorca]

I only use plain yogurt for chicks that have digestive issues or other health as a way of getting some fluids and probiotics into them (along with egg yolk and water). A lot of people will feed it once in a while, but as mentioned too much dairy can lead to digestive issues as well in chickens as they aren’t meant to eat it in large quantities.

Interestingly, as a marine biologist I’ll mention here that we’ve seen cases of pilot whales drinking milk at 14 years old (so past sexual maturity), so there are some exceptions other than humans in the animal world. Why this happens, we don’t know.